My, how things have changed in baseball with fan perception of players using performance enhancing drugs. In a span of less than a decade we have gone from running players out of the game completely to adapting to the situation.

Friday night's return of Manny Ramirez from a 50 game suspension due to testing positive of banned substances was a sign of the times where a majority of baseball fans have collectively said, "I love the game and this is what it is, Play Ball"!

Ramirez had the luxury of playing in San Diego where Dodger fans from all over southern California could show up and support their star left fielder. Things might have been different in New York or Philadelphia, but the fact that a park like Petco that averages 24,000 a game was nearly sold to a capacity of 48,000 is a testament to just how forgiving we have become.

The excessive crowd was also a further example of how likeable a baseball character Ramirez is. But what about the other superstars of the game who have been ripped and crucified? Is it all about being likeable and fun loving, which means you get a free pass?

We started to see the community of baseball fans be forgiving with players like Jason Giambi and Andy Pettitte when they came forward and admitted their use of PED's. It was like the fans just didn't want to be lied to. Come forward and tell the truth, and all will be okay.

At the same time, we still held grudges against greats like Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, and recently Alex Rodriguez. Is it because they weren't likeable guys? Possibly, Bonds was very private and said a lot of things that rubbed fans wrong. Bonds also has doubt in fans minds with his claims that he unwillingly took the PED cream, which fans don't like because they feel their being lied to.

McGwire had the baseball world in his hands just a decade ago, but his decision to not talk about the past under oath in a nationally televised forum stamped him a user in the fans minds. Maybe if had just admitted it, the fans may have given him a pass, but it was still early in the media's game of investigative journalism that news rooms everywhere thought we wanted to hear.

Rodriguez has the handicap of not being a likeable guy to many because of his overall attitude. Beyond being a primmadonna, he has his show-pony home run trot, doesn't perform in the post-season, and then when finally coming clean with his use of PED's it only after he was caught and the news was going public. His time frame of claimed usage also raised brows. He just happened to get tested positive in the only session they tested. Okay? Just tell the truth and get a pass.

Manny Ramirez however, gets that automatic pass. He hasn't said anything about what he did and says he's moving on, and we all have said, "okay Manny, great to have you back, go mash the ball". And that's it! There is no outcry, and for some reason I'm okay with that, time to move on just like Manny.

The media crammed everything down our throats so much over the last decade and turned a story into a sensationalized national phenomenon that grew more and more to the point that our National Government got involved. Are you kidding? A hearing for steroids in baseball?

A situation that should have been addressed by Major League Baseball in it's rules years before McGwire bashed 49 home runs as a skinny rookie in 1987, was not addressed because MLB loved the power source and surge in the aftermath of the disastrous strike that cancelled the World Series. Not even World Wars cancelled the Series, but greed could.

Baseball looked the other way, and then took action when forced to but still cowardly put the blame on the players. Watching Bud Selig cringe at Barry Bonds chasing Hank Aaron's record when he was just as guilty was a perfect portrait of who Selig really is. Silently black-balling Bonds really showed what kind of character Bud Selig truly has.

I believe many of us have all come to a time where we're just tired of it and Manny, along with his likeable personality, is the beneficiary of our weakened, exhausted state of anger.

Baseball is unquestionably the most American form of entertainment we as Americans have in our short history. For over half of our country's existence since declaring Independence from England, baseball has been there along the way and signals part of the American dream that so many immigrants since coming from their homeland have learned to love.

The fact that it remains largely an American sport played mostly within the lands of the Monroe doctrine, and dismissed in continents like Europe show how American it is more so than any other export America has to offer.

Having said all that, it brings me up to the topic which is baseball mandating all the teams wear their special USA colors on their caps. I think it's a great tribute to our country and well deserved for our national past-time to recognize special American holiday's like Memorial Day and the fourth of July.

If this tradition had been instituted since the inception, or maybe began at the Bi-centennial celebration in 1976, I wouldn't question anything. However, I keep going back to Bud Selig patting himself on the back about how baseball has never been better and is making more money than ever before.

He detailed the entire operation and how Major League Baseball properties sales on the internet has been one of the larger revenue growths in baseball. Baseball teams used to run their own web sites and Selig got them all on the same page. It sure makes it easier for the fan to follow baseball, that's for sure. Selig wasn't trying to be boastful, he was just looking for more approval ratings in his campaign to be called the best commissioner ever.

I don't mind the special caps being worn and sold in the same fashion that NASCAR does with the special paint schemes to sell die cast cars, but I do mind when they tie in our flag as a way to generate additional revenue. You know every die hard Red Sox fan who has the '75 Fred Lynn hat, the St. Paddy's day green hat, and the traditional navy hat, now has to get the USA Sox hat.

It's simple marketing and a perfect way to bilk an extra $25 out of the fan for something they don't have yet, but using the flag, our stars and stripes regardless of how intertwined baseball is with America just doesn't sit right with me.

It's not quite in the same class of Michael Jordan and the other Nike contracted Dream Teamers who used the flag to cover the Reebok logo on their sweat suits in the medal ceremony, but for some reason baseball using the flag to boost sales bothers me. If it were a tradition, fine, but it's not. It's a scheme to get every dollar out of their fans wallets.

Pure capitalism is part of what makes America so great. But I would have like to seen New Era, the company who makes the hat, and MLB get together and make a cheaper version in an attempt to get everyone in the hat, maybe even a giveaway day.

Fourth of July cap day, or something like that, would have been a very nice tribute to the fans of baseball in America who spent their billions of dollars over the last 125 years to make baseball what it is today.

I was surprised to see all the top well funded road cousre regulars struggle so much in practice.

Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, and Kyle Busch looked terrible all day Saturday. I realize several of them were trying different things with fuel conservation and old tires, but at some point they have to reel out a fast one and they didn't.

Gordon and Stewart have always been top practice performers on the road courses and it shold on race day.

The best overall after all practices:

1) Juan Pablo Montoya - 2nd fastest in 1st practice and 4th in HH

2) Robby Gordon - 3rd fastest in HH, great average times

3) Ron Fellows - 2nd best average times combined in both sessions

4) A.J. Allmendinger - fastest in HH, ran lots of laps good average speed

5) Ryan Newman - best practice of top teams along with Bowyer. 

Red Bull Racing and Joe Nemechek have worked out a deal Friday night to get Scott Speed into the No. 87 Sprint Cup car for Sunday's Toyota/Save Mart 350.

Nemechek qualified in the 31st position Friday using one of Red Bull racing's old chassis from last season. This will be the second time this season that Speed has used a Nemechek qualified car because Speed couldn't qualify.

Speed had a good run going in Friday's qualifying session but overdrove his car and went off course, making him one of four drivers who failed to qualify. While Speed has had trouble all season racing on the ovals, there was some excitement within the team for the upcoming road race just because of his extensive road racing skills.

Prior to Speed's arrival into NASCAR, he drove in Formula One for two seasons. While he didn't get any podium finishes, he did manage to get two 9th place finishes for a team that was well below the standards of the upper echelon.

Red Bull Racing GM Jay Frye struck another deal with Nemechek to insure their International investment and association with Speed would be represented on the track where he will likely perform well. No specific details were given about what kind of compensation Nemechek would get for stepping down from the ride; as of now it is just a favor that will be paid at a later date.

 The 2009 Major League Baseball campaign has just over 90 games remaining in the regular season and while it's much too early to overly praise or condemn players for the play thus far, a few have really stood out that have not only made names for themselves, but have made major impacts on their team.

Below is a short list of players who have far exceeded expectations based on a combination of the past history with an emphasis on their 2008 performance.

1) Matt Cain - SF (9-1, 2.39 ERA) In the first six starts of Cain's 2009 campaign, his Giants went 2-3, while Cain only got three of the decisions going 2-1. In his last eight starts, Cain's Giants have won all eight games with Cain getting the winning decision in seven of them. During that eight game stretch, Cain has only allowed 12 earned runs.

Cain has had the fortune of being really good on the days his team struggles to hit, and on the day when he gets hit a little, his offense has poured it on. He also has the luxury of playing with a very good defensive team. In the process of the Cain evolution to becoming a big time starting pitcher, the Giants have not so coincidentally put themselves in a position to battle for the wild card and maybe contend for the division, when and if the Dodgers falter.

Cain was 8-14 with a quality 3.76 ERA in 2008 and showed signs of being the pitcher he has become, but missed the timely hitting and support the team has given him this season. Couple that with his growing confidence and gaining knowledge of National League hitters weaknesses, Cain has become an elite pitcher.

Reigning 2008 Cy Yound award winner Tim Lincecum is still considered the ace of the team, but Cain's emergence give the Giants one of the best 1-2 punches in the League. Should they make the wild card, there isn't a team out there that wants to play them in the division series with that kind of firepower to start a short series.

2) Zack Greinke - KC (8-3, 1.96 ERA) After winning his first six decisions of the season in a dominant fashion that we haven't seen since maybe 1986 with Roger Clemens or 1981 with Fernando Valenzuela, Greinke has settled down and shown that he can't be perfect all the time. He's only had two win in his last 8 starts, but has given up only 20 earned runs over that span showing that it's more about lack of support from the offensive and defensive end by the Royals than a matter of Greinke actually breaking down.

Greinke came up as a middle reliever in the 2006 and stayed in the bullpen for the bulk of the 2007 season until be called upon to start in September. In the second to last week of the 2007 season, Greinke came up with 8 shutout innings and 10 K's against the White Sox and was immediately elevated to a full time starter for the 2008 season.

In 2008 he won his first three starts and then went into a tail spin that lasted until September where he went on a tear going 4-1 in his final five starts. He closed out the season with a 13-10 record and 3.47 ERA with hopes on continuing that momentum into 2009, and boy did it ever.

Greinke has arrived and is now one of the premiere starting pitchers in all of baseball. His team still has a ways to go and that gave him negative points on the list, but they can beat anyone on any night when he pitches. We are witnessing what looks to be the beginnings of one of a great career.

3) Juan Pierre - LA (.330 BA, 33 runs, 16 SB's) There have been some great stories this season regarding improved play, but none may be better and more timely than Pierre's story with the Dodgers. After a 2008 season that injuries and a trade for Manny Ramirez make him become the fourth outfielder for the Dodgers, Juan Pierre has been there to save the day while looking like the Pierre of old who had four separate 200 hit seasons in his career.

At the time of Ramirez' suspension, the Dodgers were the hottest team in baseball with the best record. The Dodger faithful all wondered where the output and impact of Ramirez would be made up at. No one ever would have expected someone like a slap hitting Pierre to fill the giant void left in the lineup with their top slugger out.

All Pierre has done is hit .330 this season and has turned the Dodgers from a team waiting for a Ramirez extra base hit, into a team that manufactures runs base to base. Pierre has helped generate and maintain a winning attitude while picking up the slack in the running game where Rafael Furcal has struggled. Pierre has also been getting base at a better pace than he ever has with career best .390 OBP.

With Ramirez gone, this team has really gelled together and has picked up slumping Russell Martin and Andre Ethier's inconsistent play. Juan Pierre has been the glue that has kept the Dodgers rolling and for that, Pierre has been the most impressive turnaround among all hitters in baseball thus far.

4) Ben Zobrist - TB (.310, 14 HR's, 39 RBI's) Tampa Bay, perhaps the smartest scouting unit in baseball, knew exactly what they were getting when they traded slugger Aubrey Huff to Houston for Zobrist in 2006. For the first 3 seasons of minimal play, Zobrist showed signs, but the returns were minimal outside of a few key moments he produced during the Rays playoff run in 2008.

His versatility has been a huge plus for the Rays and has been what has kept him on the roster despite his weak hitting. He can play SS, 2B, 3B, and all outfield positions and for the last two seasons, Zobrist has seen action at those positions. He has played well defensively everywhere, with seven errors last season and only two this season, all at infield positions.

What has propelled him high on the list of surprises this season is the way his offensive game has taken off. Not only has his average risen from .253 to .310, but his slugging percentage has jumped from .505 to .678. He has done all this while playing everywhere with no specific position designated for him and filling in for spot injuries and days off for regulars. His roll on the team has heightened and it's been hard for Manager Joe Maddon to keep him out of the lineup.

The Rays are currently three games over .500 after a sluggish start and much of their change for the better can be attributed to the play of Zobrist. He's on pace to have a stat line of 100 runs, 32 2B's, 8 3B's, 30 HR's, 100 RBI's and 20 SB's; not bad for a spot player. This kind of output makes him easily one of the better turnarounds in baseball for 2009.

Best of the Rest

Notable players who were considered that have had huge turnarounds, both with their personal stats and the success of their team, are Tim Wakefield, Torii Hunter, Aaron Hill, Edwin Jackson and Pablo Sandoval. All have contributed mightily to their teams current runs and picked up the slack from others struggling on their team.

Justin Upton and Adam Jones are having breakout years, but because their team hasn't been competitive, they were relegated to a lower level. Greinke got a huge nod over them in this category just because of how dominant he can be.